React Router v7 (Data Mode for Vite SPA + Convex)

Use Data Mode (createBrowserRouter + RouterProvider) for Vite SPAs with Convex.

Attribution: remix-run/react-router

Key Principle

Convex handles data, Router handles navigation.

• React Router: routing, navigation, URL params, nested layouts, lazy loading
• Convex: data fetching (useQuery), mutations (useMutation), real-time updates

Don’t use React Router loaders/actions with Convex.

Installation

react-router-dom

(Install with your project’s package manager)

Basic Setup

// main.tsx
import { createBrowserRouter, RouterProvider } from "react-router-dom";
import { ConvexProvider, ConvexReactClient } from "convex/react";

const convex = new ConvexReactClient(import.meta.env.VITE_CONVEX_URL);

const router = createBrowserRouter([
  {
    path: "/",
    Component: Layout,
    ErrorBoundary: RootError,
    children: [
      { index: true, Component: Home },
      { path: "projects", Component: Projects },
      { path: "projects/:projectId", Component: Project },
    ],
  },
]);

// HMR cleanup for Vite
if (import.meta.hot) {
  import.meta.hot.dispose(() => router.dispose());
}

createRoot(document.getElementById("root")!).render(
  <StrictMode>
    <ConvexProvider client={convex}>
      <RouterProvider router={router} fallbackElement={<p>Loading...</p>} />
    </ConvexProvider>
  </StrictMode>
);

Nested Routes & Outlet

function Layout() {
  return (
    <div>
      <nav>
        <Link to="/">Home</Link>
        <Link to="/projects">Projects</Link>
      </nav>
      <Outlet /> {/* Child routes render here */}
    </div>
  );
}

URL Params + Convex Query

function Project() {
  const { projectId } = useParams<{ projectId: string }>();
  
  const project = useQuery(
    api.projects.get,
    projectId ? { id: projectId as Id<"projects"> } : "skip"
  );

  if (project === undefined) return <p>Loading...</p>;
  if (project === null) return <p>Not found</p>;

  return <h1>{project.name}</h1>;
}

Mutation + Navigate

function CreateProject() {
  const navigate = useNavigate();
  const createProject = useMutation(api.projects.create);

  async function handleSubmit(e: React.FormEvent<HTMLFormElement>) {
    e.preventDefault();
    const formData = new FormData(e.currentTarget);
    const id = await createProject({ name: formData.get("name") as string });
    navigate(`/projects/${id}`);
  }

  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
      <input name="name" required />
      <button type="submit">Create</button>
    </form>
  );
}

Protected Routes

function ProtectedRoute() {
  const { isAuthenticated, isLoading } = useConvexAuth();
  const location = useLocation();

  if (isLoading) return <p>Loading...</p>;
  if (!isAuthenticated) {
    return <Navigate to="/login" state={{ from: location }} replace />;
  }
  return <Outlet />;
}

// Usage in router
{
  Component: ProtectedRoute,
  children: [
    { path: "dashboard", Component: Dashboard },
  ],
}

Quick Reference

Critical Rules

1. Use Convex hooks for data – useQuery/useMutation provide real-time updates
2. Don’t use loaders/actions – Convex handles data, Router handles navigation
3. Handle loading states – useQuery returns undefined while loading
4. Dispose router in HMR – Prevents memory leaks in Vite dev mode
5. Wrap Router in ConvexProvider – Convex context must be available

Deep Dive References

• examples.md – Complete CRUD, auth patterns, search params
• api.md – All hooks and components reference